The Emperor's New Chef

April 5, 2005 2:33 PM

Alinea "may well be America's best new restaurant" says Food & Wine magazine. Chef Grant Achatz aims for a culinary experience like you've never had before: food is not really cooked here -- the kitchen is more like a laboratory distilling flavors, in one "dish" actually to be delivered to the patron's mouth via an atomizer. The restaurant is currently expected to open May 4.
posted by beagle (13 comments total)

What? No fetid dingo's kidneys?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 2:39 PM on April 5, 2005

Double post, methinks. And a fairly recent one, too.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 2:44 PM on April 5, 2005

Yes, but served with less sugar and more spleen.
posted by liam at 2:48 PM on April 5, 2005

sounds like what Anthony Bourdain and friends refer to as "the foam guy" in Spain.
posted by Turtles all the way down at 3:04 PM on April 5, 2005

hah, you think you had a culinary experience ? Check out the minibar at Cafe Atlantico. 32 dishes in two hours. I had to recover from all the flavors and impressions for days! Highlight was a "deconstructed wine": 12 flavors (including vanilla, butter, etc.) laid out on a bed of grape jelly. And how can I forget the mojito mouthspray? Seriously, if you're anywhere near DC, get yourself a reservation (only six people per sitting, twice a night).
posted by swordfishtrombones at 3:12 PM on April 5, 2005

I was going to comment about how this is rediculous, and don't-people-go-to-restaurants-to-eat-anymoreisms, but it's not about that. Chef Achatz exibits amazing creativity and technological prowess. Good Job.
posted by bigtimes at 3:17 PM on April 5, 2005

"The waiter brings you a black plastic atomizer, the kind some pretentious people use to anoint their martinis with a faint haze of vermouth. "Open your mouth and press the pump at least five times," he instructs you"

Get the fuck outta here.
posted by 2sheets at 3:34 PM on April 5, 2005

See also.
posted by Specklet at 3:43 PM on April 5, 2005

First heard about Alinea last weekend when eating at Trio (which is also quite kick-ass, although their decor is kind of weird in a bad attempting-to-be-futuristic way), which according to the article is where Achatz cut his teeth. Trio's current unbelievably-talented wine manager Scott Noorman totally styled us with the perfect wine pairings, then told us he's skipping over to Alinea. This post inspired me to get reservations - June is already booking up on the weekends. I love crazy restaurants like this. They're worth every penny.
posted by eatyourlunch at 3:48 PM on April 5, 2005

sounds like what Anthony Bourdain and friends refer to as "the foam guy" in Spain.

Ferran Adria, whose influence is discussed in the article, is Bourdain's "foam guy."
posted by stet at 3:51 PM on April 5, 2005

The restaurant is currently expected to open May 4.

How can it be judged America's best new restaurant when it's not even going to open for a month? Is it like a Broadway play — they had out-of-town tastings in New Haven?
posted by LeLiLo at 3:51 PM on April 5, 2005

yes. Basically this sounds like Ferran Adria at El Bulli or Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck, except with more superflous bravado and a lot less technical skill.
posted by silence at 4:44 PM on April 5, 2005

I wouldn't mind trying this... once... but what ever happened to a nice hamburger or a perfectly cooked new york strip with nothing but a little salt?
posted by Justinian at 5:39 PM on April 5, 2005